Joanne Elizabeth Trcka, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away on Friday, October 4, 2024, at Keystones of Cedar Rapids. Rosary: 4:00-4:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 9, 2024, Papich-Kuba Funeral Home. Visitation: 4:30-7:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 9, 2024, Papich-Kuba Funeral Home. Mass of Christian burial: 10:00 a.m., Thursday, October 10, 2024, All Saints Catholic Church by Rev. John Flaherty, with one hour of visitation prior to service. Burial: St. John's Cemetery.

Joanne was born on February 9, 1930, the daughter of Joseph and Edith (Stepanek) Zachar. She was united in marriage to her high school sweetheart, James S. Trcka, on June 7, 1951, at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, a marriage that lasted for 73 years. To this union were born eight children: Donna, Dennis, Lois, Timothy, Janet, Robert, Ann, and Mary.

Joanne first attended Buchanan Public School where she learned to speak & write English. Her family was of Czech descent and, to honor her grandparents, the Czech language was spoken in the home. In second grade, she transferred to St. Wenceslaus Catholic School where she attended until graduation in 1948. She worked in her father's corner grocery store after school and on weekends. Upon graduation, she worked as an administrative assistant. One of her jobs was to model fur coats for a local furrier.  In 1951 she joined her husband in England where he was stationed in the Air Force. Three years later, after returning to the US, she became a stay-at-home mom for the next 40 years to raise her large family.  After the kids were on their own, she worked for Hallmark Cards servicing the greeting cards in retail stores such as Hy-Vee. She developed a passion for writing and sending cards to everyone, decorating each with unique and appropriate stickers. In her later years, it became her hobby.

Joanne was a long-time member of All Saints Catholic Church where she belonged to St. Ann's Circle and taught CCD. She volunteered at Mercy Medical Center for more than 6000  hours doing flower design for the gift shop before the 2008 flood. This is where she began her love of flowers. She loved to send flowers for every occasion and receive them just as often. She felt floral arrangements were necessary for every celebration. After the flood, Joanne volunteered in the Hall-Perrine Cancer center where she attended the needs of patients on chemotherapy. Being a cancer survivor herself, she understood what they were feeling and wanted to provide the small comfort she could. She was a lifelong member of Mercy Hospital Auxiliary. She was a member of St. Mary's Society.

Jim and Joanne loved to travel. They were lucky to visit several countries in Europe while stationed in England. While the family was growing up, they would vacation every summer with relatives and close friends at a Minnesota lake. Later they would spend part of the winter snowbirding on Marco Island, Florida.  After the children left home, they traveled & cruised to many countries around the world.

Joanne was a very outgoing person and gifted at creating effortless dialog. She could enter into conversation with anyone she met. She was an incredibly kind & gracious hostess to family, friends, & strangers. Food was a priority. The more you ate, the happier she was. No one went hungry at her table. The minute dinner was over, out came the snacks & playing cards. Playing cards & boardgames, such as Upwords (Joanne's favorite), was taken very seriously and was cheap entertainment for a large family. "There are no friends in cards!" and "Pity!" became the sentiments for those who lost. Joanne was the best sport with a great sense of humor, hearty, & tough. It showed in her untiring effort to maintain an immaculate and loving household. Early on, Joanne was labeled with a nickname from the kids: Mother McQue, or later, affectionately just McQue. It stuck and eventually became her vanity license plate.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Jim, her children Lois Trcka, and Timothy Trcka, both of Cedar Rapids, Janet (Gary) Goodhall of Clive, Iowa, Robert Trcka of Chaska, Minnesota, Mary Trcka of Lancaster, Texas; son-in-law, Brian Ollinger of Ames; 10 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren; brothers-in-law Thomas Trcka and David (Dolores) Trcka, and sister-in-law Judy Zachar and 19 nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by twins, Dennis and Donna; daughter Ann (Trcka) Ollinger; brothers, Thomas Zachar and Joseph Zachar, Jr; sisters-in-law, Phyllis Trcka and Marcia Zachar; great-grandsons, AJ Blue and Elias Kowalewski.

Memorial donations to honor Joanne may be made to Xavier Catholic Schools System or All Saints Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.